Page 112 of Killaney Blood

Lucky you! What are you up to today?

Declan's taking me on that little getaway. On the plane now.

Oh shit, I forgot! Okay, have fun, see you guys when you get back.

"Keira checking in?" Declan asks, glancing at my phone.

I nod. "Yeah, she wants to know if I'm still throwing up."

I laugh. Despite her sharp edges, Keira has been unexpectedly supportive. When Declan told her about the pregnancy, she'd hugged me hard enough to crush ribs and said, "Welcome to the family. Now I don't have to hide your body."

"Do you feel sick? Are you okay?" Declan asks, his face etched with concern.

"I'm fine. Just tired," I say.

The engines roar to life, vibrating through the floor.

Declan takes my hand, interlacing our fingers. "Ready?"

I nod.

As we take off, I lean my head on his shoulder and close my eyes. The hum of the engines, the constant tired feeling, the comfort of being next to him, it's so relaxing.

I feel myself slipping into sleep, but I don't want to miss anything so I pop my head up.

"Gosh, I think I could fall asleep," I say, rubbing my eyes.

"Well, the doctor said you might be tired."

"Yeah. So, are we there yet? Are we there yet?"

"Oh no, you're not going to do that the whole way, are you?" Declan asks, laughing.

I smile. "Unless you tell me where we're going. Maybe," I say and stretch, my body feeling stiff.

He smiles. "Okay, okay. I guess you've waited long enough," he says and leans into me. "Well, I remembered what you said about Transylvania and that mountainous Romanian village you wanted to disappear to, your escape."

I roll my eyes. "Before I met you."

"That's good, because I didn't want to take you that far being pregnant right now," he says, and I laugh. "But I found the next best thing. A place in Vermont. It's got nature, forest, seclusion. I think you'll love it. But I still plan to take you to Bra?ov."

I smile.

I would love that, but the truth is, that dream belonged to a different Lyra, one who thought she would always be alone.

I lean in and kiss him. "As long as I'm with you, I'll love wherever we go," I say. "I am very excited about Vermont."

I turn and look out the window, just staring at the clouds.

A few minutes later, Declan's head is next to mine, looking out.

"What are you thinking about?" he asks.

"How different everything is now," I say, still looking out the window. "I went from thinking I couldn't have kids, to finding out I could, to being pregnant and on a private plane flying to Vermont in like a month."

Declan nods. "Yeah, talk about a whirlwind."

I turn to look at him. "And that's on top of falling for you and realizing I may not spend the rest of my life alone after all."